Novela de Mi Id

“In Fear and Trembling”

Chapter One

His first memory was of advanced age -- of large, white, wrinkled hands holding and kneading his body like a loaf of dough.

Then there were the faces -- large, pale, moonlike things that peered at him from out of the darkness.

Then came the tutors. Tall, thin, sexless things hidden in black robes who made funny gestures with their hands every time he grew frustrated with them.

For an embarrassingly long time, they gibbered at him in an unknown tongue, communicating all the while with their hands until he was able to echo the syllables which issued from their mouths. After that came reading and writing and sums.

Then came the next step. They took him out of his darkened chamber and took him into a room filled with light. They gave him clothes that were finely woven and helped him put them on.

Then they took him into another golden room where a girl awaited. At least, that is what he thought it was, judging from the pictures in the books they had shown him. The girl was tall and slim and no doubt they considered her beautiful. Having never seen such a being before, he really could not say.

She had long blonde hair and around the crown of her head was a wreath of white flowers. She was clad in a white linen dress and he could not help wondering what lay beneath it. Did she have two legs like him or was she solid from the waist down?

As he observed her, his guardians pushed him forward and he struggled to keep his balance. Then he walked toward her.

The girl's blue eyes opened wider as he approached her. Was she frightened of something? And if so, of what? He looked over his shoulder but saw nothing there that he thought to be especially frightening or even unusual. No doubt, it was one of those feminine mysteries the sexless ones had talked about.

He knelt down to talk to her. The girl drew away. His face contorted in surprise. Surely she was not frightened of him? Was she?

He came closer. She drew back more. She was frightened -- of that, there was no doubt.

He tried to echo the words his tutors had taught him. They came out in a low, guttural tone.

“I will not harm you.”

The girl still trembled but now she seemed more puzzled than scared. Hadn't she ever heard a man speak before?

She looked down at the floor in front of her.

“But you're so big.”

“Big things are not necessarily dangerous,” he said. He stuttered, wanting to say more but not knowing the proper words.

He decided to ask her the obvious question.

“Who are you?”

The girl looked at him again. "Did they not tell you?”

“No,” he said.

Her face had a strange expression. Not quite fright, not quite anger, but something... sad.

“I am your wife.”